"How has Crypto and Blockchain Technology Impacted your Personal Finance?"
Oh wow...
I saw this initiative from @theycallmedan and @LeoFinance and I had to jump in! I love telling this story because to me, it shows how crypto can bring potential and opportunity, to industries that so badly need it. Industries that no longer have to rely on PayPal...To do business online!
...Here's my story, if you have heard it before, I apologize in advance....lol
So it all started in 2017 when PayPal decided to....Kill my business! After 17 years of being in business with them, one morning in April they sent me a notice that my account will be shut down. No recourse. No reason why. No explanation.
I have my theories on why they shut me out, but at the end of the day...95% of my business income was processed through PayPal and 17 years of hard work was gone in an instant. We tried to salvage things, working quickly with other processors but it was just too much lost income at once to save the company....
I was devastated. I ended up losing much more than my business but I made a vow that day...To never rely on one source of income the next time I would set up my business...Because as an entrepreneur, we never stay down...We find ways to keep going!
We're a stubborn bunch ;)
Funny though because my company was actually into Bitcoin close to the beginning...We dabbled in it, mined a bunch, and thought it was the coolest tech out there....But had zero patience!
We mined and sold it...And when Bitcoin went to $100 we cashed out. We thought we made the best decision ever....Let's just say, after it pumped again, I was pissed at myself for selling it all for $100...And decided to let the crypto dreams take a back seat...
Fast forward to 2017 and my interest in crypto started to rise again, not because of the bullrun that was about to take place...But because PayPal left me looking for new ways to accept payments online...
Crypto just made sense!
This was digital currency for digital products (I was an affiliate marketing by trade lol) and there was no way to be 'shut down'...So I dove back in.
How has Crypto and Blockchain Technology Impacted your Personal Finance?
It's not only changed how I viewed everything with online business...I truly believe it saved my life!
So jumping back into crypto I decided to give it 5 years...I would go all in, learn as much as I could but not 'cash' out and make that fatal mistake I did early in my 'crypto career'...I needed a blockchain that could help my business and more importantly....
Help all my customers and community members that no longer had PayPal to rely on for their online businesses as well.
I should say I jumped in...Full 'Steem' ahead...But we'll just say i discovered Hive.
It seemed like the perfect bridge for online entrepreneurs who were left out to dry but still needed a way to accept payments for their business. On top of that, the content creation elements of Hive made perfect sense too. Online businesses have a HUGE need for content marketing, so here is this cool new blockchain that you can build on, accept payments with PLUS rewards you for being an active member of the community.
I continue to pinch myself to this day...It's too good to be true!
So here I am....Almost 3 years since I started my journey here. Diving all in to show my customers and community members how important this blockchain and technology can be for online entrepreneurs....
I haven't cashed out a single token...Not one Bitcoin, Ethereum, Hive, or Leo...And have no plans to yet. Until then, it's accumulation mode. It's building mode. It's community mode....I've learned the 'art' of dollar cost averaging, and never spent a single dime I couldn't afford to lose.
I'm showing up everyday, building awesome relationships along the way and haven't regretted a single second of this experience!
And that...Is how I will set myself up after 5 years of focusing on this journey...For life!